


A Beast-Healer's Morning

by Ladymordecai



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - McCaffrey
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 03:31:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladymordecai/pseuds/Ladymordecai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn at Igen Weyr, sometime after the Last Fall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Beast-Healer's Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kastaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kastaka/gifts).



"Laren, Laren, come quick!"

The shrill voice, accompanied by tugging on his hair, hauled Laren out of his lover’s bed at much too early an hour.

"Ow! What is it?" he asked. Irritable at having been woken, he swiped at Karn, his bronze fire-lizard and source of the hair-tugging. Karn, accustomed to his partner’s ill temper, darted up out of the way and snapped back.

Blinking his eyes open, he saw a small child in weyrling wear dancing frantically in front of him. The child’s wide eyes told him enough; he’d been woken by frantic friends before.

"Where?" he asked before the weyrling could launch into his story.

"The barracks, place, come quick!"

Still shaking sleep from his head, Laren grabbed his bag and followed the weyrling at a trot, Karn winging ahead of them. He heard the problem before he saw it.

A wedge-shaped blue head poked out of the barracks door, eyes whirling a fast, worried orange. _Come!_ the dragonet cried. _Oh, hurry, please!_

The blue dragonet scurried out of Laren’s way as soon as he reached the door. Another weyrling held his waiting patient wrapped in bloody blanket folds, a brown fire-lizard who yelped and jerked with pain.

"What happened?" Laren asked as Karn soothed the frightened brown. He unwrapped the blanket and got to work.

_My fault, my fault,_ moaned the blue dragonet. The weyrling who’d fetched him hugged the dragonet’s neck.

"No, no, Dagreth, it was an accident!"

Laren bit his lip. Dragonets and fire-lizards weren't always a healthy combination for either creature. Fire-lizards were incurably curious, and dragonets could be greedy, selfish beings; that was their right, though, they were only babies, as large as might be. Still, from the blue's tone, it was clear the mauling had been an accident.

"He’s right, Dagreth, you’re young yet. Don’t worry. In fact--everybody but you, boy--out!"

The other weyrlings scampered, and after a scolding from Karn, the blue dragonet did as well.

An hour or so later, Laren leaned back and Karn snuggled his head under his chin. "Sir?" the weyrling asked.

Laren sighed. "He’ll be alright, lad. Don’t let him fly for a ten day, though, and change those bandages dawn and dusk. Bring him to me if he has any problems. Dagreth should be able to get him food, yes? And it should heal their bond as well."

"Sir? Dagreth and--"

Laren handed his patient over to the weyrling and smiled tiredly. He needed breakfast. And hot klah. "Dagreth is your dragon, boy. He and your fire-lizard are both bonded to you, and even though these lads," he stroked Karn’s chin, and his bronze chirped happily, "aren’t half the intellect of dragons, they’re still emotional creatures. Dagreth and your lizard should be friends."

"Yes, sir," the weyrling said.

Laren put his kit away and stood, groaning and holding his back.

_Laren?_ The fire-lizard healer smiled at his lover’s dragon’s voice. Laren could hear, and speak to, any dragon, which was why he’d been chosen as beast-healer for Igen Weyr. _P'rel heard. There’s hot food and klah in the weyr._

_I’ll be up in a moment,_ he replied. He took the stairs back up to P'rel’s weyr much slower than he’d taken them down. Karn, as tired as he was, stayed wrapped firmly around his neck. Karn was as much his partner as another human, since he outranked and could therefore calm and control most of Laren’s fire-lizard patients. As soon as they were within sight of P'rel’s weyr, though, the bronze abandoned him for a spot sunning on P'rel’s dragon. Dragon and fire-lizard got along famously, and the green opened one whirling blue eye in welcome.

P'rel and Iameth had had dawn patrol this morning. Threadfall might never come again, but Holders still liked to see dragons in the sky, and more often than not had messages or a transport for the patrol dragon.

P'rel, his flying gear only half-removed, looked windblown and chappy. He also had a spread of food from the kitchens on their table.

Laren went right into his lover’s arms. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" he murmured, reaching behind P'rel for a cup of klah.

"Hah! Now I know where I rank, right after breakfast," P'rel teased.

Laren didn’t answer, his mouth busy swallowing hot klah.

"All right, love, all right." P'rel stripped the rest of his gear off and pulled out a chair, kicking one over for Laren as well. "Here, eat, drink!"

Laren made a face at P'rel, but didn’t pause before tackling breakfast. His lover just laughed and joined him.

 

 


End file.
